Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The image depicts a sword guard or tsuba. The object is made of dark gray metal with rust spots and is circular in shape. It has a raised edge around the circumference. There are three holes cut out of the center in a vertical line; the top and bottom holes are oval-shaped and the middle hole is elongated and teardrop-shaped, with the pointed end facing down. The metal appears weathered with small dents and imperfections on the surface. The background of the image is light gray. The artist and title of the piece is "Sword Guard (Tsuba)".